The ALADDIN atomic physics database system

ALADDIN is an atomic physics database system which has been developed in order to provide a broadly-based standard medium for the exchange and management of atomic data. ALADDIN consists of a data format definition together with supporting software for both interactive searches as well as for access to the data by plasma modeling and other codes. 8AB The ALADDIN system is designed to offer maximum flexibility in the choice of data representations and labeling schemes, so as to support a wide range of atomic physics data types and allow natural evolution and modification of the database as needs change. Associated dictionary files are included in the ALADDIN system for data documentation. The importance of supporting the widest possible user community was also central to be ALADDIN design, leading to the use of straightforward text files with concatentated data entries for the file structure, and the adoption of strict FORTRAN 77 code for the supporting software. This will allow ready access to the ALADDIN system on the widest range of scientific computers, and easy interfacing with FORTRAN modeling codes, user developed atomic physics codes and database, etc. This supporting software consists of the ALADDIN interactive searching and data display code, together with the ALPACK subroutine package which provides ALADDIN datafile searching and data retrieval capabilities to user's codes